The Kiwi Mental Kitchen

Sorry, there's been so little content from me lately my mental health hasn't been the best so there have been some med. changes and with med. changes come side effects. This has meant I haven't been spending quite enough time in the kitchen and that for the last we while I've slipped back into old habits but today I'm doing a bit better so today we are eating a bit better! My husband has been a great support through this time but he works 12-14 hour days with a one hour commute each way so he's definitely not up to cooking if I'm struggling. Also as a warning the total cook time on this pie is over 4 hours so make sure to start your prep early enough. Chicken and Pumpkin Pie Serves 3-4 500g pumpkin, peeled and cut into 1cm chunks 1 apple, peeled and sliced oil for frying 1kg boneless pork shoulder 50g butter (or ¼ cup oil) 1 large onion, chopped 6 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped or 6tsp of the precrushed 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme le...

So it's been a little bit over a month now, and I think it is time to give you a little update of how I have been finding and what difference I have found. Though I will state that I feel it is very early in the game. I start off with a rip and a roar and was really loving the cooking and the newness of it all and in some ways, this hasn't really worn off. In saying that though It has been a really rough couple of weeks. Not too long before all this started I went through a medication change and initially it looked like this were really good and that it was better than previous mixes but I crashed down into a fairly major depressive episode. This really affected my motivation and ability to cope which in turn affected my ability to go the gym and cook well. I muddled through and have been cooking as best I can but I'm back to see my doctor on Thursday to discuss meds. I'm now seeing just how much of a struggle implementing something like this while depressed can be ...

We call this one Pseudo Satay because it's full of cheat ingredients and yet still manages to taste like a decent Satay. This is a once in a while meal for us and It was a nice change to have in on rice noodles. I'm still working out ways to add in vegetables without ruining the basic feel of the meal. Pseudo Satay Serves 4 3 Chicken breasts or thighs  3-5 Tbsp Sweet chilli sauce 2 heaped Tbsp Peanut butter 1 Can of coconut cream or coconut milk Dice the chicken In a large fry pan fry the chicken until cooked Add Chilli sauce and Peanut butter and mix well Add coconut cream and stir until it takes on the colour of the peanut butter simmer for 10 min Serve over rice or egg noodles Nice, easy and surprisingly good. If you like you satay hot use the hot version of the chilli sauce or add a little chilli powder. If you really like it nutty you can add some chopped peanuts as well, and they make a great garnish.